The Shinkyo Bridge ("sacred
bridge") stands at the entrance to Nikko's shrines and temples, and technically
belongs to Futarasan Shrine. The bridge is ranked as one of Japan's three
finest bridges.

The red-lacquered, wooden Shinkyo
Bridge arches over the Daiya River, where, as legend would have it, Shodo
Shonin crossed on the backs of two large serpents. The original bridge
was built in 1636, for the exclusive use of the shoguns, but was destroyed
by a flood. The current bridge was completed in 1907. It underwent extensive
renovation works in the late 1990s and early 2000s.